Men of Smithfield : Adam and Holden
Not long until we get a new Men of Smithfield book from the uber talented author LB Gregg!! So we thought it would be fun to revisit the entire series – especially given that they have all had a new lease of life over at Carina. We will finish it off, on release day of book 5 “Sam and Aaron“, with an LB Gregg Q&A session and GiVeAwaY!!
Today we have Dianne’s review of Book 4 …
Title : Adam and Holden
Series : Men of Smithfield #4
Author : LB Gregg
Publisher : Carina Press (BUY HERE)
Genre : M/M, Contemporary
Length : 150 pages (e-book)
Published : November 26, 2012
Rating : ★★★★★
B L U R B :
Holden Worthington’s globetrotting days are over. Once the host of a popular adventure show, he hasn’t ventured past his own front door in more than a year. Then the arrival of a sexy new gardener sparks something Holden hasn’t felt in a very long time—an interest in the world outside his window.
Holden tries to resist the attraction. But painfully shy yet definitely interested Adam Morgan has Holden longing to conquer his debilitating anxiety and live again. After a grisly discovery on the grounds of the estate, the town of Smithfield turns a suspicious eye on the reclusive Holden—and the two men must trust in each other to bring the truth out in the open.
This book was originally published as “In and Out” in May 2010.
R E V I E W :
The Smithfield story told in this volume – or more specifically Adam and Holden’s story, is a whole lot of sexy, snarky, serious, scandalous… sweetness.
“On the road to life, I’d become a fucking passenger.” – one of Holden’s more profound thoughts….
I pulled the above quote out because it really illustrates quite deftly the overall scope of where Holden’s head is at the start of this story, and the story is told from his POV. Holden is suffering from agoraphobia, which allows the scrutiny and opinions of other people – of strangers – to make him a prisoner in his own home. Yet those people close to him, including his brother, his sister-in-law, even his lout of an ex-boyfriend, continue to treat his home as if it is a free hotel with a revolving door. And he lets them. It’s particularly sad because Holden had been accustomed to a life of globe hopping, and a level of celebrity as the host of a travel show. Now he can’t leave his (albeit very large) home, and instead passes his time writing culinary books and oh yeah, scoping out the new lawn help, Adam.
Everything starts changing the day Adam arrives to work on Holden’s grounds, and Holden soon has wandering thoughts of…working on Adam. Those thoughts come to a screeching halt when Adam reports he has found a body in the mulch pile. Adam and Holden get acquainted quickly during the ensuing police investigation. Holden is floored to discover that Adam knows nothing of the scandal that keeps him housebound. He finds out that Adam is unable to process the concept of subtlety. This actually clicked well with Holden, seeing as he didn’t do subtle very well (understatement!), his straightforward demeanor was something Adam appreciated and actually needed. Adam was from the “wrong side of the tracks”, probably had half the town gossiping about him just as they were Holden, but it rolled right off his back, as he really didn’t catch on to their snide glances and innuendo.
I loved both Holden and Adam. Adam was sweet and practical. He wasn’t very worldly, yet boy, when he knew what he wanted, he went for it with confidence and gusto. Holden possessed a snarky, acerbic wit. One which disguised a generous, and also bruised, depth. He wasn’t going to pull any punches with Adam once he found out the younger man was gay, and interested. Nor was Adam going to let Holden remain a prisoner in his own home – and mind. The fact that the age difference was a virtual non-issue in this story was so welcome – Holden gave it some slight thought at the beginning, and that was it. The attraction and sex between the two men is scorching.
The one liners in this story are priceless. The laugh out loud, snort all over your e-reader kind of funny. The mystery surrounding the body is extremely well done and kept me guessing – I was bouncing back and forth between suspects until the reveal.
Adam and Holden’s relationship was a definite yin and yang. They complemented and supported each other enormously. The author says it best with this line from Adam: “Give and take. That’s what people do when they care about each other. When one person is weak, the other is supposed to be strong.”
Such a fabulous, fun series by LB Gregg, I want to visit Smithfield! This book, this entire series is definitely a must read!
Rated 5 stars by Dianne
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